Cyril Must Shuffle and Hustle

South Africans have a great deal of emotional energy invested in the government of national unity (GNU).

- William Saunderson-Meyer

However, unless the GNU chalks up real successes, it will collapse in recriminations or potentially be subsumed in an explosion of populist anger. That largely relies on the ANC reconciling itself to the concessional nature of coalition politics and moving away from mummified ideological fixations.

The ANC's January 8th statement, which outlines its strategies for the coming year, affords no comfort. There was no attempt by President Cyril Ramaphosa to hammer home the need for dramatic actions that, in turn, would require substantial policy rethinks.

Attaining the national democratic revolution, said Ramaphosa, had been thwarted by the setback of an "unfavourable electoral performance", which forced the "tactical" expedience of the GNU with "anti-transformation forces". CR cheerily pointed out that this was fortunately a "short-term initiative to secure space for the revolution to regain momentum".